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Pakistan Bombing Kills 11; Regular Joes Red-Flagged as Terrorists; More North Korea Missile Tests?; Safe Haven for AWOL Soldiers?

Aired June 09, 2009 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KRYA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, that was our Allan Chernoff with that report. He says that Gulfstream is challenging the proposed $1.3 million fine that it might have to pay. Continental airlines says it expects partners to operate to the highest standards of safety.

And we're pushing forward in Pakistan, where a huge explosion has killed at least five people and left a major hotel in ruins. It happened in Peshawar, in the region where Pakistani troops and villagers are trying to drive out the Taliban.

CNN's Reza Sayah joins us now from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, with more -- Reza.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we're just getting new information on this bomb targeting this upscale hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan's third largest city. The death toll now is at 11. And an official telling CNN this was a powerful car bomb with an estimated 500 kilograms of explosives.

This is a favored destination for foreigners and diplomats. And about 30 minutes ago, a U.S. official telling CNN that there were no U.S. embassy employees inside the Pearl Continental. And Americans when they visit Pakistan, they have the option of registering with the U.S. embassy. And this U.S. official says they did not have any Americans registering with them, telling them, informing them that they were staying with this hotel. Now, that doesn't mean there weren't any Americans at this hotel. The U.S. official just telling us nobody had registered with them yet.

But a powerful car bomb about an hour and 15 minutes ago targeting this very popular hotel. The death toll at 11 right now, more than 25 injured.

But local reports, Kyra, reporting that the injured are numbered in the 50s.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We'll keep tracking it with you, Reza. Appreciate it.

Well, the pilot who guided that crippled jet to a perfect landing in the Hudson River says that all pilots ought to be taught how to do it. US Airways captain Chesley Sullenberger is the star witness at NTSB hearings that are due to run through Thursday in Washington. We all remember Captain Sully's cool head as he guided Flight 1549 back from the brink of catastrophe. Well, today he said nobody panicked even though the plane was taking on water and even though he hadn't specifically warned passengers that they were headed for the river.

An investigator asked him why not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CHESLEY SULLENBERGER, PILOT OF US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1540: I wish I would have had more time to more fully apprise the flight attendants of the situation that we faced. I probably spent some amount of time -- I would guess I had maybe four or five seconds to decide to make the announcement and what I should say, and I chose my words carefully.

My highest priority at that moment was to avoid passenger impact injury. I didn't know at that moment how successful I would be in trading airspeed for sync rate to cushion the touchdown, so my immediate concern, my highest priority had to be to avoid passenger injury at landing.

So I chose the word "impact" and "brace" to indicate that they needed to brace themselves to avoid impact injury. I knew that the flight attendants would do their assessment prior to opening the doors, and I wish I could have told them there was water landing, but had I done that, they might have begun getting people to put on life vests and not being in the brace position at impact. So, it was a balancing act with the situation that we faced and the time that we had available.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, if Sully is the pilot we all hope to have when we get on a plane, some of his colleagues, on smaller airlines especially, may not measure up. We learned in the wake of the February crash of a Colgan airplane in Buffalo that the pilot never had hands-on training with an anti-stall device and had failed two exams.

"USA Today" reports that eight of the past nine regional airline crashes involved pilots who had failed at least two so-called check rides. The FAA now says it's stepping up inspections of training programs for regional airline flight crews.

So, what would you ask a real-life pilot if you had the chance? Well, now you can. E-mail us or tweet us with your questions for Patrick Smith, author of "Ask the Pilot" on Salon.com. He'll have the answers later this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, Air France has agreed to replace air speed sensors on all its Airbus A-330 and A-340 aircraft. Investigators are looking into what, if any, role those sensors might have played in the crash of Flight 447.

The search for the plane's data recorders continues. The morbid task of bringing bodies back to land is under way. Helicopters taking them from a Brazilian Navy ship in the Atlantic. Two dozen bodies have been recovered so far.

They weren't terrorists, but the way they were treated at airports sure made them feel like terrorists.

Drew Griffin now with an update on a story of mistaken identity.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Finally, some relief for three guys named James Robinson and thousands of others like me caught up in a bureaucratic terror watch list. It's a story we've been tracking for more than a year now.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Looking for terrorists? Meet the Robinsons.

James, the former assistant U.S. attorney general and Washington lawyer, on the terror watch list.

JAMES ROBINSON, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: For years now.

GRIFFIN: This James Robinson is a retired Air National Guard brigadier general. He still flies as a pilot for a major airline and -- get this -- is licensed by the TSA to carry a gun in the cockpit, but he's not allowed to check his luggage at the curb.

JAMES ROBINSON, AIRLINE PILOT: They've got these two lists that aren't talking to each other. I'm carrying a weapon, flying a multimillion-dollar jet with passengers, but I'm still screened as a -- you know, on the terrorist watch list.

GRIFFIN: And this James Robinson is, well, James Robinson, the third grader.

(on camera): Are you a terrorist?

JAMES ROBINSON, THIRD GRADER: I don't know.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Don't laugh. Apparently James' government still doesn't know either, because for the last three years, every time he goes to the airport with his family, James is singled out as a potential terror suspect.

(on camera): Do you feel like anybody in government cares about you?

DENISE ROBINSON, MOTHER OF THIRD GRADER: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Well, they certainly did care. That kid and his mom, they went to Congress. They testified. You know? And things have now changed, Kyra, and the watch list, at least the distribution of it, is in the hands of the TSA.

PHILLIPS: Well, I think his mom should teach him to say, "I am not a terrorist, Drew Griffin."

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: When you were asking me that on camera -- he's adorable.

GRIFFIN: He's a cute kid.

PHILLIPS: OK, so what is changing now?

GRIFFIN: So now, today, when you buy an airline ticket, you're going to have to present a government ID with your middle initial. Now, what's going to have to happen is whatever is on your government ID, if you had a passport -- this is from the TSA Web site -- or your driver's license, whatever name is on it is going to have to match. OK?

The big change is that the TSA, not the airlines, are going to be working this list. So it will be to the TSA to check if you are on the terror watch list before it gets there.

And later on you're going to notice a big change because in about a month or so, you're going to have to actually give more information -- your date of birth and your gender -- to your airline. The airline will give that to the TSA. The TSA will supposedly run that through the system, all before you even get to the airport so you're not stopped. And the reason they're doing this is because so many people, like all those Robinsons, like this one Griffin, like other -- even a UPS pilot I was talking to over the weekend, were on this list and could not get off for the longest time.

PHILLIPS: Did you ever get off the list?

GRIFFIN: The second that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee asked Michael Chertoff in Congress whether or not I was still on that list, I was off the list.

PHILLIPS: You were off. See? Isn't it amazing how quickly you can be taken off that list?

GRIFFIN: Yes, it can happen if you know the right people. But there were literally thousands and thousands of people on that list. They may still be on that list. But the TSA is trying to streamline it, make it easier, and not have so many false positives.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Well, we want an effective way to do it.

GRIFFIN: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: And it hasn't been that way. So...

GRIFFIN: And you know, that's the problem, because if you have a lot of people like me on there, who are they missing? PHILLIPS: Right.

GRIFFIN: You know? And that was the big problem.

PHILLIPS: That's a scary thought.

Thanks, Drew.

GRIFFIN: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, should pay as you go be the law of the land? President Obama says yes. And as you may have seen live here last hour, the president called on lawmakers to offset any new spending or tax cuts with equivalent cuts in other programs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The pay as you go rule is very simple. Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere. And this principle guides responsible families managing a budget, and it is no coincidence that this rule was in place when we moved from record deficits to record surpluses in the 1990s, and that when this was abandoned, we returned to record deficits that doubled the national debt.

Entitlement increases and tax cuts need to be paid for. They are not free. And borrowing to finance them is not a sustainable long- term policy.

Paying for what you spend is basic common sense. Perhaps that's why here in Washington it's been so elusive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Republicans say that a president who pushed through $787 billion in economic stimulus has a not of nerve to talk about reining in spending.

And just in this afternoon, news about the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. It's scheduled to start on Monday, July 13th. The date's in line with President Obama's request that the Senate vote on Judge Sotomayor before its August recess.

And more of an update for you on that explosion out of Pakistan. This is what we can tell you, that it happened at the Pearl Continental Hotel. At least five people reported dead, at least 25 injured.

Our Reza Sayah was able to confirm it was a car bomb that made its way through the security checkpoint up to that hotel. This hotel, by the way, owned by the same group as the Marriott hotel in Islamabad which was destroyed last year in a brutal attack as well.

Is this a response to the crackdown on Taliban militants? Not sure yet, but we're following the story for you. It's not your usual city council meeting, that's for sure. Well, tempers flaring over a town's proposal to offer sanctuary for AWOL soldiers. You will see the hype in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's a terrifying nightmare, sentenced to hard labor in a North Korean prison. And as we told you yesterday, It happened to American journalist Laura Ling and Euna Lee. They are accused of unspecified hostile acts and entering North Korea illegally from China in March. Now their families are pleading for mercy. A joint statement urged North Korea to grant clemency.

As for the women's treatment, well, here is the take of one our longtime North Korean watchers and former CNN correspondent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE CHINOY, AUTHOR, "MELTDOWN: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS": The impression is that they have been held in a guesthouse in Pyongyang, they've been allowed to receive visits a couple of times from the Swedish ambassador to North Korea who represents American interests there. They have been allowed both to write and to telephone their families.

So, I don't think they have been mistreated so far. And I think that is an encouraging signal that the North may be open to some kind of diplomatic resolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the U.S. is pursuing every possible approach to win the release of those two journalists.

And the freedom for the two American journalists may not come anytime soon.

There are new indications that North Korea may be gearing up for some more missile tests. And that, along with its nuke tests, has Defense Secretary Robert Gates thinking about possible military options.

Here's CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. spy satellites over North Korea have observed vehicles and other activities at west coast missile launch sites, indicating Pyongyang may be preparing to launch a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. and medium-range missiles that could hit Asian neighbors. Tensions are on the rise. North Korea just accused the South of sending patrol boats into a disputed area off the western coast. And off the eastern port of Wonsan, shipping has been banned until the end of the month.

The Pentagon joined the tough U.S. talk, making clear Defense Secretary Robert Gates...

GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: ... is sick of responding to North Korean provocations by making concessions that get you back to the status quo ante only to see this all unfold again.

STARR: Gates is now looking at military options if North Korea doesn't stop its nuclear program.

MORRELL: He has tasked his policy team with trying to figure out creative and prudent ways to bolster defenses.

STARR: Morell wouldn't be specific, but what about stopping North Korean weapons exports on the high seas, denying Pyongyang that cash flow? Experts warn it could get very nasty.

JOHN PARK, UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE: The North Koreans will not view this as something that is standard procedure or supported by international law. For them it would be akin to a violation of their sovereignty, and as they stated, a declaration of war.

STARR (on camera): U.S. officials say so far, they don't see a missile on the launch pad in North Korea. But it's the same type of activity that they've seen prior to previous launches, so they're getting ready. And as for that long-range North Korean missile, well, in previous launches it's fizzled.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the idea? Create a safe haven for soldiers who go AWOL. That's just what the city commission in Bellingham, Washington, has proposed, and some combat vets are mad as hell.

Here's Mimi Jung with our affiliate KING.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIMI JUNG, REPORTER, KING (voice-over): Jim Stanzel has survived seven major battles, so he's seen plenty of atrocities. He tells his community...

JIM STANZEL, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: I think this is one of the most shameful, disgustful things that I have ever been faced with.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNG: Stanzel and many other veterans showed up to fight the idea of providing sanctuary to AWOL soldiers. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's other ways to get out of the service. You don't have to go AWOL. You know, if you don't want to be in, you can get a bad conduct or a general discharge.

JUNG: But the other side spoke just as loud, arguing something needs to be done about the number of soldiers who are coming home with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are people saying we support the troops and honor our veterans, but at the end of the day, leaving them to deal with their own issues?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soldiers are human beings. You cannot tell a human being that there is honor in killing another human being and not having a choice in that matter. There is no honor in not having a choice.

JUNG: Lieutenant Aaron Watada (ph) made the choice in 2006 to become the first Army lieutenant to refuse to deploy to Iraq because he believed the war was illegal. And other soldiers have followed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was prepared to accept any consequence as a result of refusing to go back to Iraq.

JUNG: An emotional and political issue dividing a community, but it was democracy at its best.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, since that meeting, the city council has not moved to vote on the safe haven ordinance, apparently because of the local and national outcry about the issue.

We'll follow up.

The survivor of a deadly shooting at an Army recruiting center in Arkansas is speaking out for the first time at the top of the hour. Army Private Quentin Ezeagwula was standing outside when a fellow soldier last week when a drive-by gunman opened fire. Private William Long was killed. Ezeagwula was wounded and Long's funeral was yesterday.

The convert to Islam is under arrest and charged with that murder. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

Stay with CNN next hour. We're going to bring you that news conference live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, the latest now on a story that we're following, an explosion at a food plant outside Raleigh, North Carolina. Its roof collapsed, three people still unaccounted for, nearly two dozen taken to the hospital. Fire and toxic chemicals also in play here at the Slim Jim plant in Garner.

Let's go ahead and talk more with Joe Binns of the Garner P.D. Joe, can you first bring us up to date and tell us about the three people that were unaccounted for last time we heard? Do you know anything else?

JOE BINNS, GARNER POLICE SPOKESMAN: At this point, we have located one of those individuals and they have been taken to one of our area local hospitals. We don't have a report right now on the extent of their injuries. However, that brings our number of unaccounted for people down to two.

So, that's what the hazmat and the search and rescue teams are looking for now, is two people. Again, they are unaccounted for, so that means they could be inside the building or they just could not be on the scene at all.

PHILLIPS: Now, those that were injured, what type of injuries are we talking about, Joe?

BINNS: We don't have any word yet from area hospitals on the extent of any of the injuries. None of them at this point appear to be life-threatening injuries. But of course it could be a wide range of things, depending on how that -- where they were in the plant.

PHILLIPS: Do you know the cause of the explosion yet?

BINNS: At this point, the investigation has just begun. It's too early in the investigation itself to say what happened or how the explosion occurred. Of course, once the other two people are located and the scene is stable, at that point we will begin our investigation to determine what actually happened and what occurred.

PHILLIPS: Are there any possibilities? I mean, investigators have to be looking at something. Possibly a gas leak?

BINNS: They are really not looking at any specific thing, but they just now got the fire under control that was going on at the plant itself. So, once the search and rescue teams finish up there, their job of locating those other two individuals, and we clear the plant out -- again, that was on the processing side of the plant -- once that is completed, that's when the investigators will actually be able to go in and try and determine what happened.

PHILLIPS: And apparently, there's still some toxic chemicals at play. Are you concerned about the air quality both inside and outside of that plant?

BINNS: The anhydrous ammonia that's used at the process and at the plant itself does not pose any danger now to anyone on scene. The neighborhood itself was never in any danger. So, right now, hazmat crews have contained what little issue they did have inside the plant with that chemical. Again, it's just a chemical they use in the processing.

PHILLIPS: Got it.

Joe Binns of the Garner P.D. there in North Carolina. Joe, thanks a lot. You were very helpful.

BINNS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

And now we'll bring you up to date, too, on the breaking news story we have been following out of Pakistan. We just got some new pictures in of that explosion that happened at the hotel there, the Pearl Continental Hotel.

I'm told that the video coming in to us is of some of the victims. As soon as we are able to get that, we will show it to you.

This is a video that we had showed previously of the medics on the scene. And now you are actually seeing some of the victims from that explosion being loaded in and out of those ambulances that responded.

We can confirm it was a car bomb. Here is one of the injured as well. Some of them were actually talking to the camera after they had been treated.

A car bomb apparently made it through the security checkpoint there outside of that hotel in Peshawar there, the Pakistani city. This hotel, by the way, owned by the same group as the Marriott hotel in Islamabad which was destroyed last year in a massive attack. There were 54 people killed in that attack.

So far, we're being told that 11 people have been killed in this attack. Those numbers may change. At least 25 injured.

This is an upscale hotel. A lot of diplomats, foreigners stay at this hotel. It's set back from the main road, but as our Reza Sayah has reported, a car bomb was able to infiltrate that security checkpoint. Eleven people dead.

We're continuing to follow the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, how safe is that plane that you are going to be taking on your summer vacation? And what about the airline? What would you ask a real live pilot if you had the chance?

Well, hang on tight because Reece (ph) is shadowing us today, and she is picking all the questions that we should ask our "Ask the Pilot."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Continuing to work that story out of Pakistan right now. I want to bring you an update on the explosion there at the Pearl Continental Hotel. So far, we're confirming 11 people dead, at least 25 others wounded. It was a car bomb that was able to make it through -- make its way through the security checkpoint in front of this upscale hotel, a five-star hotel.

Diplomats, foreigners stay at this hotel. It's actually tucked away from the main road. But that car bomb got through. Is this a response to the crackdown on Taliban militants in Pakistan? We don't know. But we can tell you this explosion in Peshawar has left at least 11 people dead, 25 injured. We're following that story for you.

Collision, confusion, fear and alarm, but no loss of life. Today and for two days to come, the incredible story of US Airways Flight 1549 is being retold by the people who were there to the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington. The star witness is Captain "Sully" Chesley Sullenberger, who says that despite catastrophic engine failure and a landing in the Hudson River, virtually everyone kept a cool head.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPTAIN CHESLEY SULLENBERGER, PILOT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Well, First Officer Skiles was finishing his portion of the evacuation checklist. I opened the cockpit door, and I commanded the evacuation by saying, "Evacuate." And the evacuation seemed to proceed expeditiously and orderly. I didn't hear any yelling. People were moving quickly, but there did not seem to be any panic.

I think it's largely a result of the flight attendant crew being so professional. And by exhibiting an outward calm and professional demeanor, the passengers responded in kind and behaved very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, we've been asking for your tweets and e-mails for Patrick Smith, an airline pilot who writes a weekly column called "Ask the Pilot" for Salon.com. He joins me via broadband from Boston. Good to see you, Patrick.

PATRICK SMITH, "ASK THE PILOT," SALON.COM: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: Well, if you don't mind, I want to get right to it. We've gotten a lot of tweets for you. This one comes from Doug JohnsonTV. He says, "If the weather is threatening, should you cancel your flight? When do you make that decision?"

SMITH: No, you wouldn't cancel your flight. I mean, you know, pilots are trained from day one, Flying 101, to avoid the worst weather, thunderstorms and whatnot. And you have quite sophisticated weather prognostication capabilities at the airlines themselves. And then on board, of course, you have a highly sophisticated weather radar display and system.

And you have the real-time reports from other pilots and also from your airline's meteorology and dispatch center. It's throughout the flight an ongoing process. Airlines are pretty good at avoiding the worst weather. And I wouldn't ever recommend somebody cancel a flight because there is bad weather in a forecast. PHILLIPS: All right, this one coming from Journalproject, asks, "One can't be a smart airline consumer without all the facts. Exams and flying recs should be available. Can you look up info on pilots?"

SMITH: Well, you can. There are different ways to do that, to look up the credentials of airline pilots. But it's not something that I would recommend, mainly, because you have to remember that all airline pilots are trained basically to the same high standard.

And, you know, this gets into -- a lot of people relish the idea of trying to decipher out which airplanes are the safest, which airlines are the safest, which pilots are the safest. And really, it's a pretty level field. It becomes an (INAUDIBLE) exercise when you start comparing airplane to airplane, airline to airline, model to model, pilot to pilot.

I mean, for example, if a given aircraft type has had, say, one accident over a ten-year span and another hasn't had any accidents, does that mean that aircraft A or airline A is less safe than the other? I mean, I suppose on some small statistical level, but in meaningful, practical terms for the traveler, it's just -- it's not there.

PHILLIPS: All right, well, let me ask you this, Patrick, because as that tweet came in, it made me think of this Web site. So, I came over here to the touch screen. So, kind of roll with me here. Have you heard of this Web site airsafe.com?

SMITH: I have. And I know Todd Curtis, the doctor who owns it. He's very good. The site is very comprehensive, very detailed. But again, if it makes you feel better to go through this exercise and get a very precise statistic as it pertains to a given plane or a given airline, knock yourself out. But I don't see a reason or a need for passengers to do that.

PHILLIPS: Well, here's what I thought was interesting. There's a section here where you actually can go to every type of aircraft, Patrick. And I know you mentioned you know the gentlemen that started this. I know he was a safety analyst for Boeing. And this has all the fatal plane crashes and other significant events by airliner models.

So, for example, you know, a Boeing 757, right? We know a lot of us fly a 757. So, what we did was we went ahead and clicked on 757, and that brought up every single event for the Boeing 757. So, you could actually go through and read about everything that went wrong, what had happened.

I mean, don't you think this is good, you know, for folks that are, I guess, reaching sort of a concerned or a paranoid or even just want to be more informed? I mean, you can go to any aircraft and find out its entire history.

SMITH: If it helps you to feel better, sure, go ahead. But you're not going to come away with a conclusion saying that airplane A is in any meaningful way more dangerous than airplane B. That kind of comparison, that data really just doesn't exist.

PHILLIPS: Well, what about this? You can actually go and make airline complaints, and you just click on and you fill out an actual form. But there's also this "Top Ten Airline Safety Questions." This kind of, sort of like what you do. You know, where's the safest place to sit on an airplane, which is the safest airline to fly, which aircraft model is the safest? I mean, what do you make about the questions and answers on this site?

SMITH: Well, some of those questions are more meaningful than others. A lot of people, for example, are very -- they get very worked up over turbulence. That tends to be far and away the number one safety issue in passengers' minds, which is somewhat strange from a pilot's perspective because pilots generally think of turbulence as a comfort issue and not as a safety issue per se.

But that's the kind of thing that does have a long and useful answer for people, whereas which is the safest airplane, I mean, they're all safe. There really is no meaningful answer to that question. But again, if it makes you feel better by poring over the data, that's fine.

PHILLIPS: Or you of course can go to "Ask the Pilot" at Salon.com and put questions to you. Patrick Smith, thanks. I appreciate your time.

SMITH: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Well, not your usual catch of the day. More like a cause for an alarm. We will explain our "What the...?" story of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(INSERT 1440 SEGMENT)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Dr. George Tiller's abortion clinic in Witchita will shut its doors permanently. It's been closed since Tiller was shot and killed May 31. CNN's Ted Rowlands is the only TV journalist who has spoken with the man accused of pulling the trigger, Scott Roeder. Ted joins us now live from Witchita. Ted, what did he tell you?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he told us a number of things. He didn't admit to the crime, per se. He did talk about the fact that Dr. Tiller was dead. I asked him what his thoughts were and he said, quote, "The fact that Tiller's clinic is closed is a victory for all the unborn children." He went on to say, quote, "No more slicing and dicing of the unborn child in the mother's womb, and no more needles of poison into the baby's heart to stop the heart from beating."

When he talked about the specifics of an abortion procedure, he perked up a little bit. We had a half hour interview, face to face. There was a glass partition dividing us. We communicated over the phone. For most of the time, he basically would say, no comment. When I asked him specifics about the crime itself, what happened, where were you, this, that, and the other, he gave me a lot of no comments, saying that he didn't want to hang himself basically before his trial, saying that he feared that the federal government might be filing charges. He said his lawyer advised him not to talk to us.

After a while, when I talked about George Tiller, he started to say these types of things. Finally, I said to him, "Listen, the evidence against you seems to be fairly overwhelming. You have witnesses that saw you go up and shoot this man and then point your gun at other people in the church and go away from your car and they got your license plate number." When I was describing the evidence against him, he was nodding on the phone and he said, "Listen, I'll tell you this. If, in the end, I'm convicted in a jury trial and I'm found guilty, then" -- the quote -- "the entire motive was the defense of the unborn."

He also talked about feeling good. He did have some complaints about the jail. He felt good because apparently he, according to him, is getting letters from across the country, people giving him encouraging letters, he called them. Obviously, it's disturbing to think about that, but apparently, he is getting mail from across the country.

We had half an hour to talk with each other. Then, I was pulled out when 30 minutes were up. About 80 percent of the questions I had for him, he said "no comment" to. The ones he did answer, you have to feel for where this guy is and what his mindset is, although he never admitted specifically shooting Dr. Tiller.

PHILLIPS: God it. Ted Rowlands, looking forward to seeing or hearing the entire interview. Thanks.

Shots rang out, killing his coworker. Next hour, we're going to hear from the soldier who survived the shooting outside of an Arkansas army recruitment center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A German dog owner had a ball playing fetch the other day. She just missed having a blast. The woman was pretty surprised to see Boogie (ph) the boxer run back with a grenade in her mouth. Luckily, Boogie (ph) dropped it on command and even luckier, it didn't explode. It turned out it was a live American hand grenade from World War II. German bomb squads were actually called out several times a month to deal with unexploded ordinates.

Now, a Florida fisherman who thought he'd hooked a live one, well, it was live all right. He found this at the end of the line. Yes, a big old missile. And no, he didn't throw it back. He motored around with it for ten days until he was back in port. Did I mention it was live? A friendly, if clumsy, witness helped bring it to shore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL O'NEILL, RESIDENT: I had it on my shoulder. I dropped it on the concrete. I think if it was going to blow when it hit the ground, it should have.

ROONEY SALOMON, FISHERMAN: It was kind of frightening (ph). It was a wild man. They say, you all took a big chance, bringing in this missile. You have it on board for ten days. Any time, it could explode on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, actually, it couldn't have. The military says in initial reports that this was a live missile were incorrect. Oops, sorry. It was apparently used to collect and transmit data.

As always, team Sanchez, he's always a live wire. He's back there working on the next hour of NEWSROOM with his hands on his cheek and giving that look of consternation.

What are you working on, Rick?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I was just enjoying your reaction to that --

PHILLIPS: Live missile?

SANCHEZ: No, the guy you interviewed a while ago.

PHILLIPS: Oh, Bob Marley.

Oh, who was that?

SANCHEZ: Can you put him up again? Because he was an interesting character.

PHILLIPS: Which one? Which one did I interview?

SANCHEZ: He looked like somebody you dated. Remember that guy that used to come in the news room from time to time. Yes. There you go.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You know what, Rick? If I start tracing back to all your girlfriends, actually, that might increase our viewership. They've got rap sheets from here to Cuba.

SANCHEZ: I just can't believe I just did that on national television.

John Klein's (ph) memo. Let me see if he is e-mailing me yet. No, not yet.

PHILLIPS: Well, now you see why I had to dump the guy. He's picking up live missiles in the ocean. There's an issue there.

SANCHEZ: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness. Listen, for the 3:00, two very important events are going to be taking plays that I need to tell you about.

First of all, the soldier who survived the shooting in that recruitment center, his name is Quinton Ezeagwula. We've never even seen this guy's picture before. He's going to be speaking for the very first time live during our hour. And we sent a truck out there -- a live truck -- so we can get the signal. People are going to be hearing what he has to say for the first time.

Remember it was his buddy, William -- thanks, guys -- William Long, who was shot and killed by -- this is like a name game, Abdul Hakim Mohammed, who was a Muslim convert, who used to be Carlos Bledsoe. I know, it is one of those stories. But, it's a fascinating story. And we're going to be hearing from the soldier who was shot for the very first time.

The other thing that's going to be going on during our hour, which I think is fascinating -- I think most of you guys will, too is Dr. Tiller's accused killer has given an exclusive interview to our own Ted Rowlands. And he's going to be talking to us about what happens with that.

And then on top of that, of course, as you have been sharing with your viewers, the hotel car bomb explosion that's happened in Pakistan, and then the plant that also apparently has collapsed in North Carolina.

So all of that coming up at 3:00.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sounds good.

Thanks, Rick.

Planning on retiring? You want to fix your mortgage? Don't make a move until you visit the help desk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Advice now for those behind the retirement eight-ball, and what you need to know about the government loan's program and your credit score.

CNN's Gerri Willis at the Help Desk -- Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We wanted to get you answers to your financial questions. Let's get straight to the Help Desk.

Jack Otter is a financial journalist and Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management. Let's get right to those e-mails.

Kenneth asked, "I'm 57 years old and have been a practicing chiropractic for 26 years. I make about $110,000 per years. I have two investment properties and a couple thousand dollars in an IRA. But, I've neglected retirement. I have never known what to do or who to trust. Is it too late?"

Jack?

JACK OTTER, FINANCIAL JOURNLAIST: It's never too late. Better to start early but it's never too late. First of all, I think this guy's got to think about how long he's going to work. Can he work until 67, maybe even 70. Very important. More time to save, less time to draw on that money.

Number two, I think he needs to save a whole lot of money. At his age, he can put $20,000 , even a little bit more into a 401(k). Absolutely do it. I ran some numbers. At seven percent over 10 years, he'd have nearly $300,000.

WILLIS: That's a lot of dough for retirement.

OTTER: He's also got investment properties. I mean, assuming they're cash flow positive, that's a nice little annuity for the rest of his life.

WILLIS: Cash flow positive, meaning that they're earning money, rather than costing him money?

OTTER: Right. And then he's got to think mortgage, maintenance, taxes, the whole thing. If he's still getting money on top of that, great keep them. If not, I'd sell them and reinvest.

RYAN MACK, PRES. OPTIMUM CAPITAL MGMT.: Colonel Sanders didn't start KFC until he was 65years old.

WILLIS: I love that.

MACK: As long as you have a pulse, you still have a purpose. Just because you've retired, doesn't mean you still can't contribute in some way or another.

WILLIS: All right. The next e-mail comes from Suzy (ph) who asks will using the government home loan modification program have an impact on my credit score?

Ryan, this is a question I get a lot.

MACK: It is. Well, essentially the loan modification is set to be qualified through a traditional lender, you have to in sort of straits already. So, missing your payments, you're already messing up your FICO score as it is.

The government program, according to the recent stimulus package is a loan and refinance program so they are going to have to do an additional credit inquiry, which is 10 percent of your FICO score. So, your FICO score will be negatively impacted. And taking out a new loan for refinancing will also impact your FICO score somewhat. But, it's not going to be as bad as foreclosure. So you have to make sure that at the end of the day, it this is the right thing for you, is a whole lot better than foreclosure in keeping your house.

OTTER: And people need to prioritize. I mean, this woman needs to get her financial life in order and then gradually, she'll improve her score.

WILLIS: I agree. And people get obsessed with the scores. And you need to do what you need to do, first.

MACK: Exactly.

WILLIS: All right. The Help Desk is all about getting you answers. Send me an e-mail to gerri@CNN.com, or log on to CNN.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. And the Help Desk is everywhere. Make sure to check out the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.

PHILLIPS: Gerri, thanks.

That does it for me. I'm Kyra Phillips. I'll see you back here tomorrow.

Rick Sanchez takes it from here.